FLY FISHING THE WEST BRANCH OF THE AUSABLE
RIVER IN NEW YORK

The West Branch of the Ausable River, located in Northeastern
New York, flows past the legendary Olympic ski jumps
near Lake Placid and offers anglers some of the most
prime trout water on the East Coast. With its tremendous
attributes such as highly-oxygenated water, diverse cover,
bug population, and a year-round optimum temperature,
it harbors many trout from 10- to 18-inches long. Its
beauty and the availability of some 20+ inch trout are
the basis for many anglers' argument that it's the most
scenic and productive trout stream in the East.

The West Branch of the Ausable River is formed where
Marcy Brook and South Meadow Brook converge and flow
north after leaving Mount Marcy. From there, the river
meanders through meadows for some five miles, picking
up several feeders along the way before reaching the
Route 86 Bridge. Here, below the bridge, the river
gains character with swifter water, pockets, pools,
and undercut banks from years of ice and hard-moving
water carving out this pristine section of river.

CLICK FOR MAP

Flowing through Wilmington Notch about three miles south
of Route 86, the West Branch of the Ausable really takes
on its personality as a rocky and treacherous river.
Many hiding places for trout and even a 100-foot waterfall
(High Falls) a mile above the Wilmington State Campground,
signify the classic appearance of this historic Adirondack
river. And you shouldn't miss stopping by the large pool
at the base of the falls. With its depth and cover, this
pool offers up very large trout each year, despite the
abundance of anglers who try their luck here. The two
miles of water before the next set of falls are more
relaxed and have a series of slower pools and pockets.
Fishing here can be very productive using dry flies,
making it a slower-paced yet more exciting area to fish.

"The Flume" begins the next section of river, which is
another set of falls just as impressive as "High Falls." Once
again, you'll find another large pool there, which was
ground out from the crashing water below the falls. This
pool has large ledges along the banks and holds many
large trout throughout each year. Streamers, at times,
work well here and could potentially help you hook one
of the huge browns hiding on the bottom of this dark
pool.

A mile below the Flume Falls, the West Branch slows
down again and creeps along slower and slower as it
approaches a dam in the town of Wilmington. This two-mile
stretch of river is characterized as a lake with a
slow current, and has an average width of 200 feet,
with depths to 18 feet. As you can imagine, fly fishing
here is difficult, and it's mostly local bait fishermen
who fish this spot. Below the dam for two miles before
the Lewis Bridge, you'll find some of the finest fly-fishing
water on the West Branch. With an abundance of boulders
and a moderate gradient, this section offers some beautiful
slots of water. Unfortunately, access here can prove
frustrating and you'll need a good pair of legs to
hike into some of the pools.

For almost two miles below the Lewis Bridge (just
below Wilmington), the river is inaccessible for fishing,
which is no great loss, as the fishing here is not
as good. Below those two miles, the river is available
to anglers and offers some beautiful water from the
spot Black Brook enters. Here, you should use caution
because you'll come across huge, slippery boulders
and construction debris littered throughout this seven-mile
stretch. The seven miles end at the dam in Ausable
Forks. Below the dam you'll be happy to find another
mile of quality fishing before the river eventually
meets the East Branch of the Ausable to form the main
stem.

Overall, the Ausable is a diverse river, offering
anglers the opportunity to catch trout of all sizes
and fish many different types of flies. Streamers and
nymphs work well throughout the season. Stoneflies
make up a large portion of the bugs on the river. Weighted
nymphs will produce in some of the deeper pools along
the river. Dry flies, such as the large Green
Drake hatch that appears each year, also are very
abundant (refer to the Hatch Chart for other Mayflies
and Caddis).

There is a Special
Regulations area. This is from mouth of Holcomb
Pond Outlet downstream to marked boundary 2.2 miles
downstream of Monument Falls. This is a

No-Kill (Catch
and release), artificial's only.

The next time you're planning a trip to Lake Placid,
or looking for some awesome trout water, why not try
the West Branch of the Ausable in Northeastern New
York?